WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, spoke on the House Floor in opposition to H.R. 1, the For the People Act, a House Democrat bill she says would federalize our elections and undermine states’ constitutional authority to run their own elections.
Watch the speech above, read the transcript below:
“I rise today in opposition to H.R. 1. The 2020 election was chaotic and harmful to our democracy. We should be working hard, and in a bipartisan way, to restore faith in our electoral process.
“I’ve heard my colleagues across the aisle say this bill would “transform our elections…and they are certainly right about that.
“H.R. 1 is the largest expansion of the federal government’s role in our elections—ever.
“It takes away states’ constitutional authority to run their own elections.
“When I was in the Iowa State House, we worked hard to secure our election system to safeguard against fraud and ensure only legal votes were counted. Our goal in Iowa was to make it easy to vote and hard to cheat. And we succeeded in doing that. But H.R. 1 would overrule those efforts and force Washington one-size-fits all policy and voting practices on Iowans.
“H.R. 1 would send taxpayer dollars directly to political candidates. That’s right—the federal government would send your money to fill the campaign coffers of a politician you might not even agree with.
“This bill would take authority away from Iowans to run their own elections while Democrats here in Congress are also laying the groundwork to overturn the official election results in Iowa’s Second Congressional District, where the votes have been counted, recounted, and certified for Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks.
“Our Constitution is clear. States determine elections. Not Congress.
“H.R. 1 will harm, not protect the integrity of our elections. I urge all of my colleagues to oppose this bill.”
